IIDA AWARDS
lsm
Centerbridge Partners, New York
INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW DAILY 2017
12
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building, completed for the Canadian whiskey distiller in 1958, is New
York’s modernist jewel. But sometimes even icons need an update. After renewing a lease for three levels
there, Centerbridge Partners knew it was time to rethink its headquarters. So the private-equity firm called
Interior Design Hall of Fame member Debra Lehman Smith and James McLeish’s firm, LSM, to devise a plan
that would visually define Centerbridge’s current identity and set the stage for future growth.
Lehman Smith says she encouraged Centerbridge to undertake “one big move,” architecturally. So she
opened up a double-height atrium that anchors the office and symbolizes Centerbridge’s commitment to
transparency and collaboration. From the atrium’s ceiling, an installation of glass panels commissioned from
artist Spencer Finch is suspended on near-invisible wires.
Meanwhile, care was taken to respect the landmarked building. LSM restored the existing travertine in the
elevator lobby and worked with the original structural engineer, Severud Associates, to expose some steel
columns. Lehman Smith calls the result “a present-day view into Seagram.”
“It doesn’t feel as if something new has been inserted, though,” she continues. “Rather, through restoration,
the space unfolds to embrace the integrity of the structure.” Let’s raise a glass to that. —Heather Corcoran
iidaawards
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: PETER AARON/OTTO (2); JESSE DAVID HARRIS

Page 13

Page 14

IIDA AWARDS
No lesser figure than General Chiang Kai-Shek is
responsible for this Shanghai site. Back in the 1930’s, he
commandeered a suburban quarry, from which the British
had extracted granite to build the city’s famed riverfront
Bund, then ordered the construction of a bunker to
safeguard both military equipment and cultural treasures.
shanghai godolphin
International Wine & Spirits Museum, Shanghai
INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW DAILY 2017
14
Today’s visitors encounter a vastly changed scenario.
After entering a botanical garden and walking through
a modest wooden gate, they descend to a subterranean
realm by Shanghai Godolphin. The International Wine &
Spirits Museum—winner of the IIDA’s annual Will Ching
competition for interiors by firms of five or fewer—
combines commercial functions with museum-style
displays devoted to oenophile culture and viticulture,
totaling 32,000 square feet.
One long vaulted space stayed in its existing state,
essentially empty except for the candles illuminating
the bunker’s concrete niches. “We use that as a way to
explain the history,” partner Kyle Mertensmeyer says.
Elsewhere, architectural installations are designed to be
easily dismantled without damaging the historic surroundings.
Oak wine barrels serve as pedestals for glass
vitrines. On the ceiling above a counter employed as
both a tasting bar and a point-of-sale, Mertensmeyer
massed crates that once contained bottles of Château
Malmaison into a sculptural swoosh—all without
assistance from digital design tools. A separate VIP cellar
is a cylinder 8 feet across. It’s ringed by bottles up-lit by
LEDs and capped by a mirrored ceiling, providing a selfiemagnet
that’s practically irresistible. —Craig Kellogg
YIN LI XUE; IRIS QIU; KELTON SPRESSER: PROJECT TEAM.
ROB CLEARY